Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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2024 Game Preview: Eagles-Buccaneers, Week 4

The 2-1 Buccaneers will welcome the Eagles, also 2-1, to Raymond James Stadium for the fourth time in the last 33 months to continue what has become a budding rivalry

Sep 26, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Scott Smith

Senior Writer/Editor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles, who on Sunday will square off at Raymond James Stadium for the fourth time in the last 33 months, are both 2-1 in the young 2024 season, but they got there in very different ways. And now one team is looking to restore its momentum while the other just pulled off a dramatic road win that began to show the promise of what a loaded offense may be able to deliver.

That former description belongs to the Buccaneers, who came out of the gates hot with a high-scoring demolition of Washington (which hasn't lost since) and then shocked the NFL with an emotional payback win in Detroit. Any momentum they got from staving off the Lions in Week Two dissipated in a lackluster 26-7 loss to the previously-winless Denver Broncos last Sunday.

The latter description is of the Eagles, who rallied for a 15-12 win in New Orleans in Week Three on the strength of their backfield combination of quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley. Those two combined for all of the Eagles' 172 rushing yards while Hurts also threw for 311 yards, as Philadelphia more than doubled the yardage of the Saints (460 to 213). Barkley accounted for all but one of the Eagles' points, rushing for touchdowns of 65 and four yards and adding a two-point conversion.

The Buccaneers got the Broncos' best effort and, as they try to get their own energy level back up, now fully expect the Eagles to come in with a high level of intensity. That could be heightened by the fact that the Bucs have knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs in two of the last three years (Philadelphia won a regular season game in Tampa in between).

"Obviously, you have to expect it," said Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. "[You] have to expect [that] they're coming off a big win in New Orleans, and just the type of team they are. We obviously played them twice last year – having familiarity with who they are as personnel and a coaching staff – obviously new coordinators, but personnel wise, [they're] a lot of the same pieces. So, understanding the challenges that they bring and the mentality of how physical they play. We each have to bring our best stuff on Sunday and that's each and every week, but especially this week."

The Buccaneers have handled Hurts' running reasonably well in four previous meetings, postseason included, but the Eagles' ground game is different with Barkley now involved.

"I mean, they were already a good team before they got him," said Tampa Bay Head Coach Todd Bowles. "Once they got him – he's one of the top two or three running backs in the league right now. You put that behind one of the top two or three offensive lines and you're going to have nothing but success. Then, they've got the receivers and tight end to match, so he's going to be a load to bring down. He's got quick feet, he's powerful, he's fast, he can catch, he can block, he can do it all."

After a second-half collapse by the Philly offense in 2023, it appears to be very much back on track, ranking second in the NFL in total yardage, third in rushing yardage and fifth in passing yardage. It starts with a dominant offensive line that will be tough to crack with or without Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, who is currently in the concussion protocol. The Buccaneers haven't recorded a sack since Week One and know getting to Hurts will be one of the keys to Sunday's outcome.

"We need to get going on in the interior when the outside guys get a good rush," said Bowles. "When Vita [Vea] went down, we didn't have as much on the inside, but there's not an excuse. We've got to rush the passer no matter who is playing. I don't really care whether it's four guys, five guys, six guys, whether they're all backups or whether they're all starters, or whatever the case may be. We've got to get to the quarterback better."

Will the Bucs regain their momentum or will the Eagles continue to ascend as an elite offense? It's early in the 2024 season, but their meeting on Sunday could say a lot about how much of a contender each team is in 2024.

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)

Sunday, September 29, 1:00 p.m. ET

Raymond James Stadium (capacity: 65,844)

Tampa, Florida

Television: FOX (Local WTVT Channel 13)

TV Broadcast Team: Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (analyst), Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi (reporters)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station

Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (reporter)

Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente

Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst), Santiago Gramática (reporter)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Coming to the game or enjoying pregame festivities? Check out our Buccaneers Gameday Page for everything you need to know about getting ready for the game, Tailgate Packages, Bucs Beach and more!

TICKETING INFORMATION

The 2024 season is underway and there are a limited number of Single Game Tickets on sale now! Visit Buccaneers.com to purchase tickets.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

The Eagles occupy a prominent spot in Buccaneers franchise history. Tampa Bay has met Philadelphia five times in the postseason, double the amount against any other franchise, and that includes the first playoff game in Bucs history and the first conference championship game in team annals, as well. It also includes the last time these two teams shared a field.

After winning the NFC South for a third consecutive time in 2023, the Buccaneers opened their playoff run with a home game against the Eagles in the Wild Card round. The home team won handily, rushing out to a quick 13-0 lead and cruising to a 32-9 final. Baker Mayfield threw for 337 yards, three touchdowns and a 119.8 passer rating, completing passes to nine different players. The Bucs' defense limited the Eagles to 276 total yards and didn't allow a single third-down conversion in nine attempts.

The Bucs are 4-2 against Philadelphia in the playoffs, having also defeated the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs in 2021 by a 31-15 margin. That one wasn't as close as the score indicates, as the Bucs built a 31-0 lead in that game on the strength of Tom Brady touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski. The Bucs' defense held quarterback Jalen Hurts to 38 rushing yards and one touchdown pass while intercepting him twice.

Philadelphia still leads the regular season series, 9-8, breaking the tie last season in Tampa in Week Three. Playing on the Monday Night Football stage, the Buccaneers intercepted Jalen Hurts twice but allowed 201 rushing yards, including 130 by D'Andre Swift. Tampa Bay's offense could muster just 174 yards in a 25-11 defeat. The Bucs had tied up the regular-season series in 2021 with a 28-22 win at Philadelphia in Week Six, as Leonard Fournette ran for two touchdowns in that game, balancing out the two times Hurts ran it in. The Bucs built a 28-7 and then hung on for the victory.

Two weeks into the 2018 season, the Eagles came to Raymond James Stadium after beating Tom Brady's Patriots, 41-33, in a thrilling Super Bowl LII shootout the previous February. The Buccaneers had finished that same 2017 season with a 5-11 record, though they had looked impressive in a 2018 opening-week, 48-40 win in New Orleans. The Buccaneers beat the Eagles, 27-21, with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing four touchdown passes, including a 75-yarder to former Eagle DeSean Jackson on the first play of the game. It would be the Eagles that went back to the playoffs that season, though, earning a Wild Card berth while the Bucs slumped to 5-11 and initiated a coaching change.

Many of Tampa Bay's best moments in their head-to-head history with the Eagles have occurred in Philadelphia. There's the 2002 NFC Championship Game, of course, but the 2003 Monday Night Football season opener was a particularly satisfying win, as well. The Buccaneers were there in Philadelphia in 1999 when Donovan McNabb made his NFL debut, and they didn't exactly treat him well. Tampa Bay started its 1995 campaign by sacking Randall Cunningham five times and winning handily at Philadelphia; that was Warren Sapp's NFL debut and he had one of those five sacks. Even the Bucs' most recent trip to Philly, in 2015, was notable: At the time, the Bucs' 45-17 win over the Eagles was their highest-scoring road game ever.

The Bucs' biggest highlight in their series with the Eagles is unquestionably that aforementioned 2002 NFCC Game. The Buccaneers had seen their playoff dreams die at Veterans Stadium each of the previous two winters and had even lost in their personal house of horrors earlier in that '02 campaign. But the Bucs showed up ready to battle and overcome a long game-opening kickoff and a Philly touchdown just a minute into the game. Joe Jurevicius's unforgettable 71-yard catch-and-run began the turnaround, and the Bucs stymied McNabb for most of the night with two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception off the prolific quarterback. Down 20-10, the Eagles mounted a late rally behind McNabb's improvisational big plays and were closing in on the end zone with five minutes left. That's when Ronde Barber made perhaps the single greatest play in team annals, intercepting a short pass and returning it 92 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

Four seasons later, Barber terrorized McNabb again with a pair of pick-sixes in a 23-21 win at Raymond James Stadium in 2006, the game that famously ended on Matt Bryant's 62-yard field goal. Until Mike Edwards pulled off the feat in Week Two of this season against Atlanta, Barber had been the only player in team history to have two interception-return touchdowns in the same game.

Tampa Bay's very first playoff game also featured the Eagles. After winning the NFC Central in 1979, just the franchise's fourth season of existence, the Bucs got a home game to start the playoffs and beat Philadelphia, 24-17. Ricky Bell set still-standing team records for carries (38) and rushing yards (142) in a playoff game.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Tampa Bay General Manager Jason Licht had a five-year run in the Eagles' personnel department from 2003-07. He started out as the team's assistant director of player personnel but was promoted to vice president of player personnel for his final two seasons with the team.
Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles had a short stint as the defensive coordinator in Philadelphia. After finishing the 2011 season as the Miami Dolphins' interim head coach following the in-season dismissal of Tony Sparano, Bowles joined the Eagles' staff in 2012 as the team's secondary coach. Another dismissal, this time of Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo in October, once again bumped Bowles' title up as he took over that job for the remainder of the season.
Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum and Eagles safety Tristin McCollum are twin brothers. They both played their college ball at Sam Houston State. The Buccaneers drafted McCollum in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, while Tristin signed with the Houston Texas as an undrafted free agent. Tristin spent his rookie season on Houston's practice squad before signing with the Eagles in 2023.
Thaddeus Lewis, who is in his second year as the Buccaneers' quarterbacks coach spent parts of eight seasons in the NFL as a quarterback with eight different teams, appearing in seven games with six starts. One of his stops was in Philadelphia, where he spent the entire 2015 season without appearing in a game.
Philadelphia offensive tackle Fred Johnson spent half of the 2022 season with the Buccaneers. He signed in Tampa in April of 2022 and saw action in five games as a reserve before being waived at the beginning of November.
LB Devin White is in his first season with the Eagles after spending his first five NFL years in Tampa. The fifth-overall pick in the 2019 draft, White played in 76 games with 75 starts for the Buccaneers, recording 566 tackles and 23.0 sacks.
Guard Sua Opeta, who is on Tampa Bay's injured reserve list, played for the Eagles from 2020-23, getting into 38 games with 10 starts.

SENIOR COACHING STAFFS

Tampa Bay:

Head Coach Todd Bowles

Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen

Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Kacy Rodgers

Pass Game Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote
Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey

Philadelphia:

Head Coach Nick Sirianni

Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore

Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay

KEY 2024 ROSTER ADDITIONS

Buccaneers:

C Graham Barton (1st-round draft pick)
OLB Chris Braswell (2nd-round draft pick)
G Ben Bredeson (UFA)
TE Devin Culp (7th-round draft pick)
CB Tyrek Funderburk (UDFA)
CB Bryce Hall (UFA)
RB Bucky Irving (4th-round draft pick)
WR Kameron Johnson (UDFA)
G Elijah Klein (6th-round draft pick)
WR Jalen McMillan (3rd-round draft pick)
G Royce Newman (W-GB)
S Tykee Smith (3rd-round draft pick)
CB Tavierre Thomas (UFA)
S Jordan Whitehead (UFA)

Eagles:

RB Saquon Barkley (UFA)
LB Zack Baun (UFA)
G Mekhi Becton (UFA)
LB Oren Burks (UFA)
DB Cooper DeJean (2nd-round draft pick)
WR Jahan Dotson (T-WAS)
OLB Bryce Huff (UFA)
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (UFA)
DE Jalyx Hunt (3rd-round draft pick)
T Darian Kinnard (FA)
CB Quinyon Mitchell (1st-round draft pick)
QB Kenny Pickett (T-PIT)
RB Will Shipley (4th-round draft pick)
WR Ainias Smith (5th-round draft pick…currently on injured reserve)
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (5th-round draft pick)
LB Devin White (UFA)
WR Johnny Wilson (6th-round draft pick)
DT Byron Young (W-LV)

ADDITIONAL 2024 CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE

Buccaneers:

As Todd Bowles enters his third season as the Bucs' head coach he'll be working with his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. Last year, Bowles picked former Seattle Quarterbacks Coach Dave Canales to replace Byron Leftwich, but Canales departed this offseason to take over as the head coach of the Panthers. Bowles then turned to Liam Coen, who comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree with the Rams and most recently was the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky. Three members of the Bucs' 2023 staff followed Canales to Carolina – Brad Idzik, Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert, which led to some other new additions on Bowles staff in 2024. Those include Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry, Pass Game Coordinator Josh Grizzard, Wide Receivers Coach Bryan McClendon and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Brian Picucci. In addition, long-time Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong retired in the offseason, so the Bucs brought in Thomas McGaughey as his replacement.
Under Coen, the Buccaneers' offense is expected to employ quite a bit more pre-snap shifts and movement than it had in 2023, and Coen also plans to widen the variety of the types of runs the ground game employees. One of Coen's other key initiatives in an attempt to get a moribund rushing attack going is to give quarterback Baker Mayfield multiple plays to choose from in the huddle and at the line so that the offense runs into unfavorable looks less often.
Despite having tight salary cap restrictions, the Buccaneers made it a priority to retain key players from the 2023 season who were scheduled to hit free agency. General Manager Jason Licht and his staff successfully checked off every item on their list of priorities, beginning with a new two-year deal for franchise icon Mike Evans. That helped bring the team's negotiations with quarterback Baker Mayfield to a conclusion. After Mayfield played the 2023 season on a one-year prove-it deal, his resurgence landed him a lucrative new multi-year contract. The Bucs were also able to re-sign linebacker Lavonte David and kicker Chase McLaughlin. With the other deals in the works, the Bucs used the franchise tag on safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and later inking him to a new contract making him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL.
All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs didn't need a new contract for 2024 but he was entering the final year of his rookie deal and the Buccaneers were highly motivated to lock him in to a new long-term pact. That lengthy process came to a head on August 1, when the two sides agreed on a five-year extension that runs through the 2029 campaign and makes him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
In March, the Buccaneers traded cornerback Carlton Davis, who had started 75 games over six seasons with the team, to the Detroit Lions for a third-round pick in this year's draft. The Buccaneers eventually used that pick to select Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan.

Eagles:

The Eagles swapped out their offensive and defensive coordinators for the second offseason in a row. The first time was a necessity as both Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon landed head coaching gigs in 2023, leading the Eagles to hire Brian Johnson to guide the offense and Sean Desai to lead the defense. After the Eagles' second-half collapse, the team chose to move on from Johnson and Desai, hiring Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as the defensive coordinator. Moore coordinated some very productive offenses in Dallas from 2019-22 and spent 2023 in the same position for the Chargers. Fangio brings 33 years of NFL coaching experience to the Eagles and has now held a coordinator post for seven different NFL teams.
Also new to Nick Sirianni's staff in 2024 are Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach Christian Parker, Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line Coach Clint Hurtt, Cornerbacks Coach Roy Anderson, Safeties Coach Joe Kasper, Inside Linebackers Coach Bobby King, Quarterbacks Coach Doug Nussmeier and Offensive Assistant Kyle Valero.
One year after getting Jalen Hurts locked into a long-term deal, the Eagles spent the 2024 offseason getting new deals done with such key players as wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, tackle Jordan Mailata and kicker Jake Elliott.
The Eagles elected not to work out a long-term deal with star edge rusher Haason Reddick, however, instead trading him to the Jets for a 2026 conditional third-round pick that could become a second-rounder. Reddick and Myles Garrett are the only two players in the NFL to record 10-plus sacks in each of the last four seasons. Philly's defensive front also lost a long-time stalwart when Fletcher Cox retired after 12 seasons, in which he played 188 games and recorded 70 sacks.
Similarly, the Eagles' offensive line lost its anchor for the last three seasons after center Jason Kelce retired after 13 seasons, seven Pro Bowl invitations and six All-Pro selections. As planned, the Eagles moved 2022 second-round pick Cam Jurgens from guard to center and imported former Jets tackle Mekhi Becton and converted him to guard.
Running back D'Andre Swift had 1,263 yards from scrimmage in 2023, his first year with the Eagles after being traded from the Lions, but that was also the last year on Swift's rookie deal. That allowed Swift to hit free agency, and he chose to sign with the Chicago Bears. In addition, the Eagles released safety Kevin Byard, who they had gotten in a midseason trade with the Titans last year ,and Byard also signed with the Bears.

INJURY REPORT

Key:

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

NL: Not listed

Buccaneers:

C Graham Barton (ankle) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP
LB K.J. Britt (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
CB Jamel Dean (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
OLB Yaya Diaby (abdominal) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
WR Mike Evans (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP
DL Greg Gaines (ankle) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
DL Will Gholston (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP
WR Chris Godwin (neck) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP
T Luke Goedeke (concussion) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP
DL Logan Hall (foot) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP
RB Bucky Irving (hamstring) – WEDS: LP; THURS: DNP
WR Kameron Johnson (ankle) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP
DL Calijah Kancey (calf) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
TE Ko Kieft (ankle) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
DL Vita Vea (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP
S Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
T Tristan Wirfs (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP

Eagles:

G Mekhi Becton (finger) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP
WR A.J. Brown (hamstring) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
G Landon Dickerson (wrist) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP
T Lane Johnson (concussion) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP
CB Darius Slay (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP
DT Milton Williams (groin) – WEDS: NL; THURS: LP
WR DeVonta Smith (concussion) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP

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